Terminal applicators



Feb. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet i Filed Feb. 24, 1956 :ElE-a-L INVENTOR.

' QUENTIN Feb. 17, 1959 Q. BERG TERMINAL APPLICATORS 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1956 United States Patent O TERMINAL APPLICATORS Quentin Berg, New Cumberland, Pa. Application February 24, 1956, Serial No. 567,521

8 Claims. (Cl. 1-177 This invention relates to terminal applicators and has particular reference to an apparatus for simultaneously applying and individually securing a plurality of strip terminals to a board, such for example as a printed circuit board.

There is a need in the art for a more eificient technique for applying terminals to such boards. The apparatus embodying my invention provides a novel and efficient techniquefor applying terminals to boards. In accordance with my invention, strip terminals are fed to an anvil on which the lead terminals are positioned so as to receive a board to be assembled with the lead terminals, with a lead terminal projecting through a cutout in each board. After the board is assembled with the lead terminals, a die means cooperates with the anvil to stake a lead terminal to the boardand thereby secure the same in the cutout in the board which is provided for receiving the terminal. Preferably, a cutoif is provided for severing the lead terminals from the terminal strips after the lead terminals are staked or secured to the board.

I A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a new and eflicient apparatus for securing electrical terminals to printed circuit boards or the like.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which there are two sheets, which by way of illustration show a preferred embodiment of the invention and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying the principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective fragmentary view of a reciprocating press type of apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. -2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the anvil and guide with the lead terminals positioned on the anvil in staking position and in position to receive the board to be assembled with the lead terminals;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing several terminals of a strip;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of a printed circuit board with a plurality of terminals secured thereto;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4 but including a staking punch 108 to show the staking operation;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing further details of the reciprocating press apparatus shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the guide and anvil in staking position.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the apparatus consists of a reciprocating type of power operated press provided with a fixed base or bed 10 and a vertically reciprocable head 12 maintained in working alignment by the guides indicated generally at 14. Since the reciprocating press may be of any suitable conventional type adapted to operate at speeds of from 20 to 60 strokes a minute or greater, it has not been considered necessary to disclose the entire press and the power means thereof for elfecting the reciprocation thereof, and it is believed that from the apparatus as illustrated in the drawings the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The printed circuit boards or the like 16 to which the terminals are to besecured are usually made of a suitable dielectric material and provided with a hole or cutout 18 for each terminal to be applied and secured.

In general, the apparatus for simultaneously applying andindividually securing the lead terminals to the circuit board 16 comprises an anvil 20, a guide: 22, feed means 24 for the strip terminals, a cutoff indicated generally at 26, mechanism for alternately actuating the feed means and the cutoff, a punch or movable die 28 which is cooperable with the anvil to stake the lead terminals to the board, and a series of reels, such as 30, on eac of which a strip 32 of terminals is wound.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the anvil 20 is fixed to the base or bed 10 of the press. The guide 22 consists of a block pivoted on a horizontal axis by means of pin 40, the block 22 being provided with a series of vertical slots 42, each slot forming a guide for a terminal strip 32. The slots 42 are closed by a plate 44 secured to the face of the block in which the slots 42 are provided. The guide 22 is shown in its staking position in Figs. 2 and 6. The cutoff 26 as shown comprises the edge 46 of the anvil and the edges 48 of the guide slots 42, and when the guide block pivots clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 6, the cutting edges 46 and 48 will coop-- erate to shear the lead terminals indicated at 50 from the strips 32. Thereafter the block 22 is rotated counterclockwise to a feed position, in which position the terminals 32 may be fed through the guide slots 42 without interference from the anvil 20. In the feed position the upper end of the guide block 22 will be spaced substantially farther from the anvil 20 than as shown in Fig. 2.

The reels 30 are mounted so that the strip terminals 32, made of brass or other suitable metal, may be fed therefrom upwardly through the guide slots 42. The feed mechanism 24 for each strip 32 consists in general of a feed pawl 52 pivoted at 54 to one arm 56 of a bell crank pivoted at 58, the other arm 60 of the bell crank having a pivotal connection at 62 with one end of a link 64. The other end of the link 64 is pivotally connected at 66 to one end of a lever 68 pivoted at 70. The other end of the lever 68 is provided with a roller 72 which cooperates with a cam face 74 of a cam bar '76 carried by the reciprocating head 12 so that upon reciprocation of the head, the feed pawl 52 will be reciprocated to advance the strip terminal 32 through the slots in the guide 22 when the latter is in its feed position. A spring 78 biases the bell crank 80 in a direction to advance the feed pawl 52 on the up stroke of the press when the guide 22 is in the feeding position. The end of the feed pawl 52 is engageable with the stops provided by the flanges 82 on the terminal strip 32. On the down stroke of the press, cam face 74 cooperates with the roller 72 to pivot lever 68 counterclockwise (Fig. 6) to retract the feed pawl 52 to engage the next succeeding terminal so as to be in position to advance such terminal at the end of the up stroke of the press when the guide 22 is in its feed position.

The guide block 22 is controlled by the reciprocation of the press, and to this end a link 86 is pivotally connected at 88 to the lower end of the pivoted guide block 22, the other end of the link being pivotally connected at 90 to a block 92 which is also pivoted at 70. At the end of the down stroke of the press a stop or abutment 3 94 on cam bar. 76 e a es t e en 36. o a adj t e bolt 98 carried by an arm 100 of the block 92 and rocks the block 92 about its pivot 70 in a clockwise dire tion o 35 to rock the guide block 22 in a clockwise direotipn so .as to actuate the cutoff and thereby sever .the lead, terminals 50 from the strips. Upon the up stroke of the press, the abutment 94 releases the end 96; of the bolt 98 and the cam surface 102 pro-v vided on the side of the cam bar 76 cooperates with the. Lrshaped member 104 piyoted on the block 92 by means of Pin 11 2fmrocking the block 92 in a counterclockwise direction, thus moving link 86 to the right (Fig. 6), so as, to shift the guide block 22 to its feed position. v

During and after the shift of the guide block 22 to its feed positiom'the feed mechanism 24 previously described will advance the strip terminals 32 so as to move new lead terminals 50 to a position above block 22 to be moved by the guide block 22 to staking position '(Fig. 2). After the face 102 passes above the member 104, the block 92 will be returned to its position as shown in Fig. 6 so as to shift the guide block 22 to its staking position. In moving from the feed to the staking position the guide block 22 moves the lead terminals 50 so that the flanges 82 will overlie the upper face 106 of the anvil 20, thus positioning the lead terminals of the strips on the anvil 24 in position to receive the board to be assembled with the lead terminals, with a lead terminal projecting through each of the cutouts 18 in the board. The arrangement of the cam face 74 and the roller 72 is such so as to retract the feed pawl before the staking operation so that the flanges 82 of the lead terminals will be free to seat by gravity upon and against the top surface 106 of the anvil 20.

Thereafter, the printed circuit boards are brought into assembled relation with the lead terminals on the anvil 20. This may be done manually or by any suitable feed arrangement for feeding the boards over the lead terminals before the staking operation. The underside of the circuit board 16 should be seated against the fl nges .82.-

The movable die means .for effecting the staking operation comprises a series or punches 168 which at the end of the down stroke of the press are engageable with the ears 110 of the terminal so as to deflect and bend the same into clamping position with respect to the board 16. Fig. illustrates the position of the ears 110 after the staking operation by the punch 168. It will thus be seen that during the staking operation the punches 108 cooperate with the anvil 2G to stake the lead terminals 5G to the board and thereby secure the lead terminals in the cutouts in the board 16.

On the down stroke of the press the portion of pivoted member 104 projecting toward the cam surface 102 is provided with a cam surface on one side which is engaged by a part of the cam bar '76 on the down stroke of the press so that the member 104- will turn about its pivot 13,2 and move out of the downward path of movement of the part which provides the cam surface .102. However, at the end of the down stroke the member 1% will swing about its pivot by gravity or a spring, not shown, back to the position as illustrated (Fig. 6 so as to be in position to effect the shift of the guide block 22 from the cutoff to the feed position.

In order to be certain that the lead terminals 50 are seated in proper staking position upon the anvil 20, a spring 114 may be affixed to the outside of the guide block 22, the'spring 114 being provided with lingers 116, each finger 116 being adapted to bear upon one of the lead terminals 50 as the guide 22 pivots from feed to staking position for firmly holding the lead terminals in position on the "anvil 20 as shown in Fig. 2.

Coaetion of member 104 and cam 102 on the up asserts stroke of the press shifts the guide 22 to its feed position. Then the feed mechanism 24 advances the strip terminals. 32 so as to position the lead terminals for movement toward the anvil 20 with the flanges 82 above the level of the anvil. After the cam 102 moves above the member 104, the block 92 will return to its position as shown in Figure 6 to shift the guide block 22 to staking position as shown in Figure 2, and before the staking operation, the flanges 82 will be free to seat under the influence of gravity on the top surface of the anvil 20. At the end of the down stroke of the press, the coaction of abutment .94 and end 96 of bolt 98 will rock block 92 so as to rock the guide block 22v to cut off the lead terminals.

While I prefer to cut off the lead terminals from the strips 32 after the terminals are secured to the circuit board 16, the actuation of the cutoff may be advanced so that the severing of the lead terminals occurs before or during the time that the lead terminals are secured to the board 16. The specific nature of the lead terminal may vary, depending upon its, ultimate function as a terminal.

It is contemplated that the apparatus may be built so as tov handle a greater or lesser number of terminal strips than that illustrated and that the spacing of the terminals as applied maybe different from that illustrated. In addition, the apparatus illustrated may be adjusted to apply a lesser number of terminals at one time by withdrawing one or more of the feed pawls 52 so that it will not be in a position to engage a terminal strip 32.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that this is ca pableof modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire toavail myself of such changes and alterations as fall Within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

l. Apparatus for securing the lead terminal of a strip terminal to a board provided witha cutout, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a guide defining a path of movement for said strip terminal adjacent but along one side of said anvil, feed means operable for advancing the strip of terminals through said guide so as to posit-ion the lead ter-. minal of said strip adjacent said anvil at one side thereof, a cutoff comprising cooperable cutting edges on said anvil and guide, said guide and anvil being mounted for relative movementin a direction transversely of said path for moving the lead terminal transversely of said path so as to position the lead terminal of said strip in staking position on said anvil to receive a board to be assembled with said lead terminal with the lead terminal projecting through said cutout in said board, die means cooperable with said anvil .to stake said terminal 'to said board and thereby to secure said lead terminal in said cutout in said board, and means for actuating said cutoff to sever said lead terminal from said strip.

2. Apparatus for individually securing one or more strip terminals to a board provided with a cutout for each terminal to be secured and wherein each of said terminals is provided with a flange adapted to seat on said board, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a feed guide defining a path of movement for said strips adjacent but along one side of said anvil, feed means operable for advancing the strips of terminals through said guide so as to position the lead terminals of said strips adjacent said anvil at one side thereof, said guide and anvil being mounted for relative movement in a direction transversely of said path for moving the lead terminals transversely of said path so as to position the lead terminals of said strips in Staking position on said anvil with said terminal flanges back'ed'up by said anvil, and imposition to receive a board to be assembled with said lead terminals with a lead terminal projecting through "said cutouts in said board and with said board seated against said flanges on said lead terminals, die means engageable with the ends of said lead terminals projecting from said board while said lead terminals are in said staking position to stake and thereby secure said terminals to said board, and means to sever said lead terminals from said strips.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said guide and severing means includes an integral block mounted for movement toward and away from said anvil in sequence with and in response to movement of said die means toward and away from said anvil.

4. Apparatus for individually securing the lead terminals of a plurality of strip terminals to a board provided with a cutout for each terminal to be secured, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a guide defining a path of movement for said strip terminals adjacent but along side of said anvil, feed means operable for advancing the strips of terminals through said guide so as to position the lead terminals of said strips adjacent said anvil at one side thereof, a cutoff comprising cooperable cutting edges on said anvil and guide, said guide and anvil being mounted for relative movement in a direction transversely of said path for moving the lead terminals transversely of said path so as to position the lead terminals of said strips in position on said anvil to receive a board to be assembled With said lead terminals, With a lead terminal projecting through each of said cutouts in said board, die means cooperable with said anvil to stake said lead terminals to said board and thereby secure said lead terminals in said cutout in said board, and means for actuating said cutoff after said lead terminals are secured to said board, to sever said lead terminals from said strips.

5. Apparatus for individually securing the lead terminals of a plurality of strip terminals to a board provided with a cutout for each terminal to be secured, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a guide defining a path of movement for said strip terminals adjacent but along one side of said anvil, feed means operable for advancing the strips of terminals through said guide so as to position the lead terminals of said strips adjacent said anvil at one side thereof, said guide and anvil being mounted for relative movement in a direction transversely of said path for moving the lead terminals transversely of said path so as to position the lead terminals of said strips in position on said anvil to receive a board to be assembled with said lea-d terminals, with a lead terminal projecting through each of said cutouts in said board, and die means cooperable with said anvil to stake said lead terminals to said board and thereby secure said lead terminals in said cutouts in said board.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein means are provided for supporting said die means and said guide for movement relative to said anvil and to each other.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a cutoif operable for severing said lead terminals from said strips.

8. Apparatus for securing a terminal to a board having a cutout which comprises an anvil, means for feeding a series of terminals in one direction means for positioning the lead terminal of said series on said anvil for assembly with a board with said terminal projecting through a cutout in said board, and a die opposite said anvil and cooperable therewith by movement in a direction opposite the direction in which said terminals are fed by said feed means to engage portions of said terminal projecting from opposite sides of said board so as to secure said terminal portions in fixed clamping relation with said board thereby to secure said terminal in said cutout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,294,882 Dilks Feb. 18, 1919 1,615,276 Hudson- Jan. 25, 1927 2,760,195 Berg Aug. 28, 1956 

